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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

I can't think of a better reason for a Blingee than a unicorn Halloween costume! I mean, I was covered in glitter! Everything should be covered in glitter! Did you all have a good Halloween weekend? What did you go as!?

I was at a loss of what I should be for Halloween this year. I always come up with some really good ideas through out the year, but then October sneaks up on me and I have like, 3 days to cobble something together. Talk about procrastination. After juggling some ideas around in my head, I decided that I should be a unicorn. I love bright color, glitter, and I'm always looking for a good excuse to wear that fabulous blue wig.

I made my costume by purchasing an icicle Christmas ornament from JoAnn's and using gaffer tape to attach it to a headband. I made the ears out of felt and glued them to wire so that they would stand up nice and pretty. For the clothes, I wanted to go as BRIGHT as possible but I didn't want to spend a lot of money. I went to a few thrift stores and they didn't have anything that spoke to me. Instead I went to Citi Trends next to the bad Kroger on Gallatin Rd. This place was a warehouse of really cheap, poorly made clothes- perfect for Halloween. I got the rainbow leggings, hot pink shoes and yellow top there for like, $9. The purple shirt is actually my winter running gear. I love re-purposing and spending less money! Oh, and clearly the tail was just some yarn.

***Thank you for your kind words and support yesterday. It really means a lot. My parents are safe which is most important. Things are ruined, but they are just things and can be replaced. I have to keep reminding myself of that.****

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Do you have a blog full of fashion, food or vintage goodies? Do you have an etsy store and want to promote your goodies for the holiday season? Do you like cats?! Well, Old Red Boots is the place for you! November is going to be a big month for me- including my first giveaway! (I'm very, very excited about that!)

GFC: 94 (So close to 100, I can feel it!)

Google Reader: 113

Instagram: 222
Facebook: 97 friends

Over 4,000 page views a month!

*Ok I know these aren't amazing statistics, but hell, I'm proud of them!

Normally I try and keep my blog a place of positivity. I don’t
focus on the extremely personal or the extremely depressing. But right now I
have to take a slight diversion from our regularly scheduled programming to
talk about the impact of Hurricane Sandy.If this isn’t your thing, please skip.

I grew up on the South Shore of Long Island. There is a canal
at the end of my block and the ocean is a 5 minute bike ride away. The town itself
is quiet and peaceful. I knew most of my neighbors and some were even like
family.My house has a very strong
family tradition.It was built in the
late 1940s and purchased by my Grandparents. They moved in and had my father.
He grew up in that house.My
Grandparents passed away when I was young, and when the house was empty we
moved in. I had the opportunity to grow up in the same house that my Dad grew
up in.We attended the same High School
and even had some of the same teachers. In all the years of my family owning
this house, it has never flooded.

Last night my home flooded. The storm surge was worse than
expected and there was no way to keep the water out.I found out from a friend and neighbor (we
grew up across the street from each other) that her parent’s house flooded severely.
This prompted me to call my parents to find out what the situation was. “It was
much worse than expected.” I had a brief conversation with my parents where
they told me they were safe on the second floor. I’m very happy for their
safety and thankful that everyone is in one piece.But the home, I feel sadness for my home.

I’m still waiting to hear updates from my parents. I have
heard rumors of the water receding in other towns on Long Island, which makes
me hopeful. I know the worst of it is over, but I can’t help but be afraid of
the damage report. My heart goes out to all of those on the East Coast who are
recovering this morning.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Happy Halloween weekend everyone! If you are like me, you celebrated Halloween this past weekend. Having the normal 8-5 job makes weeknight partying almost impossible. Luckily for me, Nashville had a lot of great options going on. On Friday night I went to a Zombie party in a sweet warehouse space. Steve's band Scale Model entertained the crowd. There was even a professional make-up artist turning regular people into flesh eating monsters.

Saturday included a quick trip to the flea market (thanks Lauren!) and a few hours spent at work. At night Steve and I got dressed up again and went to a friends house party. I always love seeing my friends all dressed up in super creative costumes. On Sunday Steve and I took a nice trip to Percy Warner Park and took a nice fall hike. If you watch the show Nashville, you might recognize this park from last weeks episode. Rayna and her guitarist dude had a deep conversation here. We took these pictures while walking around Percy Warner. PW might be my new favorite park for the sheer number of dogs people bring there. I was stopping every five feet to pet a puppy. I can't wait until I have a little puppy of my own to play with in the leaves.

The weather was perfect. At first I thought I was going to be cold- the forecast said only 55 degrees. When I opened my door to have morning coffee on my back porch I was pleasantly surprised. It was almost hot in the direct sun. I figured this might be the last time I get to pull off tights and shorts this season so I ran with it. Oh, and these tights? I actually picked them up at JoAnn's fabric. They were having a super discount sale on a bunch of random Halloween things- and I'm not one to turn down $2 tights. I feel like the bee girl in these.

I was also pretty stoked because on Friday my package from Kelsea Echo arrived. I ordered one of her trick or treat mystery bags during her fundraising effort Help A Heart. I was really impressed with all that she was doing and I wanted to chip in. So happy I did because she raised a lot of money and I got a bunch of really cute jewelry.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Cafe Fundametal opened up not too long ago in my neck of the woods. Personally, I'm always crazy excited when a new restaurant opens in East Nashville. Proves that the neighborhood is growing and the economy is strong. EAST PRIDE. Located where the ill fated tax dodger Greek place used to be, across the street from the Family Wash, I pass this place at least 2 times a day. A French Patisserie in Nashville? I had to try.

While I've spent some time in Paris, I wouldn't consider myself an expert on the French coffee house lifestyle. But, the look of Cafe Fundtametal is quite similar to cafes at which I have eaten. A long bar stocked with cocktail basics lines the back wall. There are small tables dotted around the room. The large front windows bathe the whole place in bright light. Cafe Fundamental leans more modern in design than traditional cafes, and I think it fits right at home in Nashville.

Steve and I went one Saturday morning for brunch. I was excited when we were able to get a table right away. I get brunch rage when I find out it will take 45 minutes to an hour to get some eggs and coffee. The breakfast menu is small and to the point. Some pastries, some omelets. I like smaller menus because they make my decisions easier!

Being a french place, I started off by ordering a Cafe Au Lait and a mimosa. (I really thought I took a picture of the mimosa, but I guess said mimosa made me a tad bit forgetful). The coffee was good, but I was kind of bummed that it didn't come in the traditional soup bowl. Marche serves this in the bowl and their Cafe Au Lait remains my favorite in town.

I have a very big sweet tooth and I'm always aboard for desserts posing as breakfast items. I ordered the Croissant Pain Perdu. This is basically a bread pudding made with croissants with blueberries mixed in, covered in fresh cream and powdered sugar. While it was good, I felt that it was a little too dense for my liking. I wish it was softer and lighter, less like a gnocchi and more like a regular croissant.

I felt like Steve made the right choice. He went for the ham and cheese omelet made with Gruyere. This was so utterly delicious. The cheese was amazing: hot, melted, and stringy on the inside. The bits of ham added a nice saltiness to the cheese. The eggs themselves were cooked perfectly, remaining light but strong enough to hold together all their contents. AND THE FRIES! The french fries were the most delicious and addicting ones I have had in a while. I kept sneaking them off the plate while Steve wasn't looking. No matter what I order next time I go back, I will be sure to order a side of the fries. Bad for my arteries, good for the soul.

Overall, I really like the feel of Cafe Fundamental. I get what they are trying to do and I think they are on the right path. Our service was friendly and fast. CF is now open for dinner and I plan on checking that out soon. (They have duck breast with duck fat fried french fries- how can I resist?!)

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Happy October! I have some lovely sponsors this month and I would like you to get the chance to know them. I asked these fabulous ladies what their dream Halloween costume would be. I have to say, we have some very creative ladies. I'm also pretty jealous that they have a good idea of what they want to be while I'm still hunting for a costume...

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Some of you know that I'm kind of a crazy person. Well crazy in the effect that I hula-hoop half marathons. You can read about that more here. When I heard that The Color Run was finally making it's way to Nashville I registered immediately and so did a lot of my fabulous hoop buddies. After some talk, we decided we were going to hoop The Color Run and have a blast doing it. On Saturday afternoon I met up with my amazing buddy Jen and we made hoops specifically for The Color Run. Glitter tape and white gaffer to soak up all the color! Just look at the happy faces of this amazing group of people! We even had two cute little Munchkins, Henrietta and Sam, along with us. Looking at them in the color was pure joy. A special thanks goes out to my boyfriend Steve who walked along the course with us the whole time snapping pictures!

Sunny and I warm up with some hoop tricks

The first color is YELLOW!

The Yellow station was downtown in between large buildings. I kept the color really concentrated.

There were a lot of Tutus

Post-yellow Happy

We all came out of Orange looking like a Cheeto

Team photo after Yellow, Orange, Pink and Blue... but before the grand finale!

Dear Hailey looked a little bit like a Smurf. I look like I had a bad spray tan.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Well it happened. I was able to meet one of my favorite Drag Superstars, Latrice Royale.
You might remember Latrice from RuPaul's Drag Race Season 4 (Miss
Congeniality), RuPaul's Drag U (which I have yet to watch) and the new
tonight RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Steve was lucky enough to shoot pictures of this lovely lady and I was sitting in the front row geeking out. She was amazing! I felt like I was seeing a real soul singer. She made me believe every word of every song. Dang, Girl. You rocked it! And the best part: I was able to meet her after the show and take a few pictures. She is so sparkly I couldn't resist doing a blingee. Latrice told me that I was adorable and that she liked my sweater. I could have fainted.